Get a jump start on Multnomah and Clark County stories you'll see in the weekly Community News
editions of The Oregonian, available on metro area newsstands Saturday
morning.

Portland: Behind every set of statistics lie the individual stories that give meaning to those numbers. And so it is with the 24 people, ranging in age from 13 to 67, who were homicide victims in Portland in 2011.

Last year's deadly toll included seven teenage males, three women and one police shooting. Eighteen killings involved guns, 5 were stabbings and one victim was beaten to death. At year's end, 12 homicides -- half of the total -- were unsolved. Maxine Bernstein profiles each of the dead in "Remembering 2011's homicide victims."

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A spurt of gun violence that left one man dead and three others wounded was the first thing to go wrong for a Cambodian refugee who yearned to own a business as part of the American dream. Business collapsed after the October 2010 shootings at the Southeast Portland sports bar and restaurant owned by Saron "Ron" Khut. A year later, the bank that owned the building foreclosed on the property and evicted Khut and all the other commercial tenants.

With help from a new city-funded program to assist small businesses, Khut is looking for financing to relaunch his business at a new location. Cornelius Swart explains how the Portland Development Commission's program works: "Another chance at the American dream."

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The Reynolds School Board is looking to hire a superintendent -- again -- and this time, the board chairwoman vows, the process will yield a better result. A year and a half ago, the school Board passed over two outside candidates and hired the interim superintendent, who wasn't even pursuing the job.

Now, with the incumbent due to retire in July, the board has enlisted the help of a consulting firm from Nebraska to find the right person to head the east Portland district. James Mayer has more details in the story, "District begins search for new leader."

Gresham:With the transition from Christmas wish lists to
real-life checklists, city councilors have approved a work plan for 2012
that includes improving
quality of life in apartment complexes, finding a location for a BMX
track, and a building a fountain in the Plaza for the Arts.

Vancouver:Across the river, violence of another kind
preoccupied Laura French as the calendar turned to another year. French
spent more than 27 hours at the hospital on New Year's Eve and New
Year's Day, assisting and consoling patients who were brought in for
suspected sexual assaults.

As Kristine Guerra reports, the
volunteer services provided by the YMCA Clark County, a nonprofit that
helps victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, could be
stretched further by possible reductions in funding for domestic
violence shelters and sexual assault services. Read more in the
article "Sexual assault program under budgetary assault."

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neighborhood or city. And, of course, you can always get that content
here at oregonlive.com/local/.